Xavier begins tournament against Ole Miss

Mar 19, 2015 - 2:37 PM
Jacksonville, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Fresh off an epic comeback win in the
first round of the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday night in Dayton, the Ole Miss
Rebels now go up against the Xavier Musketeers in the second round at
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena on Thursday afternoon.

Into the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in program history, the 11th-
seeded Rebels appeared to be on their way to an early exit in the West Region
two nights ago when they fell behind by double figures early against BYU. But
a resilient crew came out in the second half and erased what was once a 17-
point deficit and turned it into a 94-90 victory. With the favorable outcome,
the Rebels moved to 5-7 in the tournament all-time

As for the Musketeers, who are making their ninth tourney appearance in 10
years, they are one of six Big East Conference programs to make the Big Dance
this year. They are included in the annual event for the 25th time overall and
received an at-large bid for the 15th time.

Reaching the Elite Eight on two occasions, the Musketeers are coming off a
modest regular season in which they finished 21-13 overall, but were only 9-9
in Big East action. The squad did make some noise in the conference tournament
however, defeating both Butler and Georgetown, each of which was ranked in the
Top-25, before bowing to fourth-ranked Villanova in the title game, 69-52.

The winner of this first-ever meeting will head to the third round on Saturday
to take on the survivor of the Georgia State/Baylor meeting.

While Ole Miss was converting a total of just 12 field goals in the first half
against the Cougars two nights ago, the opposition was knocking down 10-of-15
behind the 3-point line alone, leading to a 17-point halftime lead that seemed
insurmountable. However, Stefan Moody rallied the Rebels as he tallied 26
points, one of six to score in double figures, as Ole Miss pulled off the
comeback bid.

Before fouling out, M.J. Rhett hit for 20 points, followed by Jarvis Summers
with 11 and 10 assists, while La Darius White, Sebastian Saiz and Martavious
Newby all dropped in 10 points, the last two also clearing nine rebounds in
the frantic effort that saw the Rebels suffer only seven turnovers in the
contest and force 15 by BYU.

Moody, a starter in all but one game this season, continues to be the spark
for the Rebels as he generates 16.6 ppg, nailing a team-high 76 shots out on
the perimeter and 90.2 percent of his tries at the free-throw line. Summers
checks in with 12.4 ppg and while he shoots just 33.8 percent from the field,
including a dismal 25.4 percent on the outside, he is still a much-valued
performer thanks to 153 assists.

Xavier is the poster child for balance these days, producing 73.6 ppg but
having just three players averaging double-digit points. It also should be
noted that Matt Stainbrook is the top scorer with only 12.0 ppg, which means
there are plenty of other players who have the ability to turn a game around
all on their own. Stainbrook is responsible for a team-high 6.8 rpg as well,
not to mention 80 assists which, while it may not sound like a lot, is
actually the second-most on the unit.

Topping the Musketeers in the passing department is Dee Davis (8.5 ppg) with a
staggering 209 assists, which help to cover up the fact that he is converting
his perimeter attempts at only 29.9 percent. Trevon Bluiett and Myles Davis
check in wiocked
shots (260 - 7.9 per game). The Longhorns also hold an impressive +8.3
rebounding margin.

Scoring for Texas comes from a number of sources, including a trio of double-
digit threats. Sophomore guard Isaiah Taylor shoots a modest .401 from the
field, but he is tops on the team in both scoring (13.0 ppg) and assists (4.6
apg). Freshman forward Myles Turner (10.4 ppg) provides a spark off the bench
for the most part and leads the team in rebounding (6.4 rpg) and blocked shots
(88). Senior forward Jonathan Holmes (10.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg) is another frontcourt
presence for the Longhorns.

The offensive numbers haven't been all that impressive for Butler this season,
but the Bulldogs have proved to be at their best against better competition.
The team enters the postseason averaging 69.6 ppg, while maintaining a solid
+6.4 rebounding margin.

While the overall scoring numbers may not be eye-popping, junior guard Kellen
Dunham is a difference maker for Butler. The junior guard was certainly among
the Big East's top scoring threats this season and enters this game averaging
a hefty 16.7 ppg, due in large part to his efficiency from long range (73-
of-176 -- .415). Fellow junior Roosevelt Jones and sophomore Andrew Chrabascz
give the team options at 12.6 and 11.1 ppg, respectively. The starting five
also includes seniors Alex Barlow (9.2 ppg) and Kameron Woods (7.8 ppg, 9.8
rpg).